Taekwondo athletes had previously represented New Zealand at the London, Rio and Tokyo Games. Photo: Photosport
Taekwondo New Zealand (TNZ) has issued a public apology for misleading athletes about their ability to represent the country at the Paris Olympics after two fighters thought they had a chance to go.
Taekwondo NZ made the apology on the first day of official competition of the Games.
It said it was a "devastating outcome" for the athletes and it issued a "sincere apology".
The issue came about because TNZ is not a current member of the NZ Olympic Committee, but taekwondo athletes had previously represented New Zealand at the London, Rio and Tokyo Games.
Two taekwondo athletes, Eisa Mozhdeh and Jemesa Landers, officially qualified for the Olympics in April at the Oceania olympic qualifiers in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
In a statement from the organisation's board, released on 26 July, TNZ said athletes were aware it was not an Olympic Committee (NZOC) member and therefore could not submit athletes for selection for the 2024 Olympic Games.
But TNZ said it was under the impression they would still be able to compete in Paris if they applied as individuals.
"TNZ did not gain a clear understanding from NZOC as to whether an individual athlete could apply independently to NZOC for selection," the board now admitted.
"TNZ at the time believed that this pathway was available as per the previous Olympic Games in Tokyo, but unfortunately, this was not the case," the board said.
For the 2020 Games in Tokyo, one athlete had achieved selection through an independent, individual selection process.
Instead, the places earned at the 2024 qualifier were returned to World Taekwondo by NZOC.
TNZ accepted it should have been clearer with athletes.
"This was a devastating outcome for the athletes and for the sport, the impact of which has been felt throughout the taekwondo community. TNZ would like to sincerely apologise to the affected athletes and wish to acknowledge the impact that this has had on their lives and the lives of their families."
TNZ also admitted it had failed to adequately support the athletes during the period of uncertainty, saying it "understood the process was and continues to be extremely difficult for them".
"Athletes should always feel supported by their national governing body and [TNZ] will adopt measures to ensure that this is the case in the future."
The board said it was "working tirelessly" to achieve NZOC membership.
"This has been a process that has spanned over two years and although TNZ have provided information requested by NZOC on numerous occasions, the application for membership is yet to be
approved," the statement said.
In a statement in April, NZOC said: "It is important to note that winning a quota spot is only part of the process to achieving New Zealand Olympic Team selection and it is not uncommon for quota spots to be returned to international federations."
"We know how hard New Zealand taekwondo athletes have been training and how committed they are to their chosen sport. The road to the Olympic Games is long and extremely challenging and every four years only a very small percentage of athletes achieve their dream of selection."
Because TNZ was not an NZOC member, athletes were unable to work within the committee's legal nomination and selection framework, it said.
However, the NZOC said at the time it was "supporting taekwondo athletes in making enquiries to see if a direct pathway to the Olympic Games through World Taekwondo might be possible."
It proved not to be.
"This challenging situation must be a catalyst for Taekwondo New Zealand to bring the community together, and create a high performance pathway to ensure these opportunities can be proactively managed for the benefit of the athletes and the sport," NZOC said.
An independent organisation was working with TNZ to help resolve the situation, it said.
A new membership model was also going to be released in 2025 which would "look to bring our community closer together", TNZ said.
"The future does really depend on us as a taekwondo community supporting a direction that will benefit all members, including athletes."
